Haskel Frankel, a theatre writer and critic who reviewed plays for The New York Times' Westchester and Connecticut Weekly sections, and whose pieces also appeared in Playbill, died Nov. 3 after a short illness, The Times reported. He was 73.

Haskel Frankel, a theatre writer and critic who reviewed plays for The New York Times' Westchester and Connecticut Weekly sections, and whose pieces also appeared in Playbill, died Nov. 3 after a short illness, The Times reported. He was 73. Mr. Frankel acted when he was young and later became a journalist and fiction writer, penning pulpy paperbacks under the name Frank Haskel. His nonfiction included "A Guide to African History" (1965) and helping to write Uta Hagen's popular book, "Respect for Acting" (1973), The Times reported.

In addition to his reviews for The Times (1974 82), Mr. Frankel's work appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, The Saturday Review and Show magazine.